Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MULLIKIN, 0E LrrTLE'roN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,494, dated November-3, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE MULLIKIN, of Littleton, in the eounryofGrafton and State oi New Hampshire. have invented a new and ImprovedWater-Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear,and

exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specitication, in which- Figure l is aside view of my invention inclosed within its case; Fig. 2, adetachedside view ot' the wheel 5 Fig. 3, a horizontal section of Fig. l, takenin the line x fr.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and'eonstruct myinvention, I will proceed to desciibc it.

A represents a cylindrical hub, which is placed on a vertical shaft, B,and to which the buckets C ofthe wheel are attached. The hub A is verymuch higher than the buckets C, the latter being attached to the lowerpart, a, ofthe hub, which is atriiie greater in diameter than the upperpart, b, but is only about one-half its height, the part b, therefore,be ing about onefthird the whole height of the hub. The buckets G havetheir upper parts,

c, of curved forni, nearly seinicircular, the lower parts, d, beinginclined planes, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At the back or convex sideof the upper parts, c, of the buckets there are horizontal plates e, oneto each bucket. These plates project from the centers of the parts a ofthe buckets, and extend over about one-third the space between thebuckets.

The precise i'orm of the buckets and their relative position'with eachother are shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The buckets C are inclosed within a cylindrical case, D, which restsupon the basefof the framing E, which supports the wheel and the partsconnected therewith.

F represents a scroll, which rests upon the upper part of the case D.This scroll is of equal width throughout, but varies in height, it beingof spiral. or screw form, and having its top plate, g, in contact withthe upper part, b, of the hub A. (See Figs. l and 3.) The outer end ofthe scroll F is connected to the sluice G, and at the iunction of thescroll and sluice there is a gate, H, which is attached to a verticalshaft, I, or one which passes up through the sluice at right angles. Theshaft I is connected to the gate H near its center, and the back edge ofthe latter is in Contact with a segment-plate, J, the curvature of whichcorresponds to a circle, of which the shaft I is at the center. (SeeFig. 3.) The lower edge of the scroll F rests on a should within theupper part of the case D.

From the above description it will be seen that the water will beadmitted down upon the buckets C in a solid unbroken sheet or column allaround the wheel and act with equal effect on each and every bucket, thewater descending from the sluice G and v through the wheel in a spiralcurve, unobstructed, and acting with its maximum eii'ect or force due toits gravity upon the wheel.

The buckets C, in consequence of being of the form shown and describedat their upper parts, c, divide the water without breaking or disturbingits column, while the lower inclined parts, d, retain the water as longas possible, thus adding the power of gravity to that of impact, thewater being discharged from the wheel almost motionless. The horizontalplates e prevent the water from striking too low down on the buckets,and also prevent the water from reacting against the backs of thebuckets, as they compel the water to pass over in close contact with theface or concave sides of the latter.

The gate H, in consequence of being ar ranged as shown, is nearlybalanced, and is consequently capable of being operated through themedium ot' a governor with the greatest facility.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination ot the horizontal plates e with the backs of thebuckets C, substantially in the manner herein shown and described,wherehy the water is made to act with itst'ull force upon the faces ot'the buckets, and is prevented from reacting against the backs ofthebuckets, all as set forth.

2. The arrangement of the segment-plate J with the pivoted gate H andshaft I, in the. manner herein shown and described.

GEORGE MULLIKIN.

Witnesses:

E. B. CLEMENT. B. R. WALLACE.

